"No! You don't understand, the ones that were after me weren't ordinary monsters. Those are Dad's bodyguards!" Kaori looks increasingly frustrated. "You could have been seriously hurt, maybe even killed!"

Kaori's worry doesn't seem to be getting through to the others sitting at the table. They stare back at her with confused expressions.

Ryouta sees everyone else at a deadlock, and decides to try and break it. "Kaori, we're fi-" "I'M SERIOUS HERE! THEY ARE VERY DANGEROUS AND NONE OF YOU SHOULD BE FIGHTING THEM!" Kaori's little hands ball into fists as she crosses her arms.

I am Itsukuma Masami, and yesterday was the day that I got a big sister! One who is glaring at everyone in the room while making a pouting face. Yesterday, there was a monster attack on the school, but they didn't really 'attack' anyone as much as "ask a bunch of questions then leave".

Everyone else stares back at her; unsure what to say. To my friends, she's making a big deal over nothing. I'm not even sure it's such a big deal, compared to what we've been through the past several days.

Ryouta speaks up, "Kaori, you should know by now that if they attack the school, I'm going to fight them. Even if I'm the only one." "Yeah!" Aiko energetically quips, "Tough monsters have never stopped us before!" Maeda refrains from saying anything, only looking down at her food with a furrowed brow.

>"Maybe Kaori has a point, guys?" >"What are we supposed to do about it, then?" >"I think Kaori's right, we should try laying low for a few days and maybe the tough ones will go away.">"I don't know what to think!" >Other?

"Kaori, what are we supposed to do, then? We can't just let them have the school!" Ryouta and Aiko nod in agreement, Maeda continues to look down at her food silently.

Kaori doesn't seem to have much of an answer to that. She stares at me for a minute before turning her attention toward her food. That wasn't the reaction I expected. I was hoping that she had an answer to that instead of just pouting.

"Um- but. They're not harming people, right? So maybe it wouldn't be such a big deal if we didn't fight them." "Masami!" Ryouta nearly bolts from his chair, "You can't be serious! You're suggesting we just let monsters onto school grounds?" "Well! Not all of them of course! But the ones who just come by and ask weird questions aren't harming anyone. I mean, what if Kaori is right and you can't fight them? You can't undo fighting something just because it's too hard to fight!" I can feel myself tripping over my words. It's hard to make a point when I'm nervous and unsure of myself.

"She's right!" Kaori looks determined, "You can't back out of a fight against those things, so you should just not fight them at all!" Aiko crosses her arms, "You still haven't explained what we should do about it, then. Should we just hide when they show up?""YES! Let the adults handle it for once! This was never our job to begin with!" Now, Kaori looks irritated.

"Um, Kaori, so you seriously think we should just run if we see them again and hope they leave?" "I know that's a hard thing to accept, but you should not try fighting these guys! They're an entire league above you!"I feel almost insulted by that.

>"Wait, I just remembered, I need to go to Fortune to do that stupid card thing. I'll be back." >Skip Fortune visit for today, you have to discuss things with Kaori and the others. >Look around school for places to hide or for anything that can slow down or trick the monsters if they come back.>Other ways to spend this lunch break?

>>36231321>"Wait, I just remembered, I need to go to Fortune to do that stupid card thing. I'll be back."While I'd love nothing more than to never make another card for them, most of the reason we agreed to do it was so Mom didn't have to. Cause it takes a lot out of her.

"Well," I say, trying to change the subject to something less somber. "I should probably get to Fortune today, since I wasn't there yesterday. I'll be back after a while."

Unfortunately, that makes everyone sitting around the small table look even more worried than before.

"You're going to Fortune, after yesterday!? Seriously!?" Kaori says with shock and horror."Um.. Y-yes, I guess?"

The others stare at me with a look of shock. But Maeda is the first to speak up. "You're doing this for your mother, right Masami? Something about doing this so she doesn't have to?" "Y-yes."

Maeda smiles, she has just the warmest and most welcoming smile. "Okay, call us if you need us. We'll be here most of the day."

I smile and hop gracefully from the table. Everyone who isn't Maeda struggle to say something, but end up not saying anything by the time I reach the doorway. As I leave, I hear the room erupt in noise, "SERIOUSLY MAEDA?"

ideas for drafting (feel free to interject/bitch at me)-- actual flight ability: super jump is great, but flying would give us more speed and maneuverability - and if we draft it ourselves it shouldn't have such a short skirt.

-- Ranged Offense: we have one fencer card and a defense-oriented sword'n'board card. Not saying we need to be able to BEFRIEND people from orbit, but having some kind of offensive caster (or archer if you'd rather not shoot magic) seems useful.

-- sabotage - Lock & Key cards: Make two cards that on their own really don't do much, but together generate something really useful. I *THINK* we managed to use two cards at once before, if not we should try it (CCS rules let Sakura use two cards at a time, but only two)

-- sabotage - Hidden Mode cards: If we're afraid that Fortune is using the cards we make against us, why not have something innocuous on the face, then have a secondary partition that makes it better (something they'd need to use the card itself to access, unlikely the monsters could do that)

>>36232777I still feel we should learn more about what they do with the cards first. We still have yet to learn how to make cards from scratch and how to edit them so we can make super cards that way if necessary. I do like the making use of our dual wielding capabilities to unlock powers.

>>36232878Another good point - figuring out (or brute-force creating) an Editor Mode would be EXTERMELY useful, because we'd understand exactly what the card does and how we can apply or combine it.

As for Lock&Key, if we do that I think we should make a lock, where the key is a card we already have (example, pure telekinesis. On its own not great. Combined with jump and you have "falling with style" level flight, and it'll keep the damned skirt in place!)

>>36232938We didn't bring it up, but we know the masked girl used one, and there was one that wasn't directly under Dad's control. Reasonable bet says Kaori swiped it, but she still has to know something about it.

>>36232631"Oh! What a welcome surprise, Masami. I didn't expect you to show up today!" I step into Asai's large, president-like office at Fortune. One of the first things I notice is that a bunch of the monsters who typically stand guard in his presence aren't around. His numerous legion being reduced down to only a couple of them standing along the walls.

Asai smiles wryly, "Though I do appreciate the lovely cake you made for me the last time you were here. I must say, Chocolate isn't really my flavor." But what is most interesting is what is missing. Along the back wall, where he would normally blend in with the furniture, the chairman appears to be absent.

"But I should be thankful, I had almost thought that our unexpected visitor the other day had scared you off. I'm glad to see that you're not letting it get in the ways of your duties." That smile of his, I really hate that smile.

>"Please just give me the blank card so I can be done with this." >"Where's the chairman? Did he call in sick?" >"Can you show me that wrist thing you had the other day?">"Where's Mom? I want to talk with her." >"I have some questions." >Card first, Questions later>Other?

Of course if he tells us what he expects us to make, we kinda have to make something like what he expects. >>36233141 may have a good point, embedding a weakness to one of our cards, or make at least make it so the card's no threat to us. Might need to ask mom about card editting, she'd know for sure.

I'm really not in the mood for his sarcastic comments."Please, can you just give me the card so I can leave sooner?"

He laughs to himself, "Okay! Okay." His hand slips into his desk as he pulls out another card with minor sketches all over it. "What's it gonna be today, Carrot Cake?"

Arms cross, pout."It would be a lot easier if you told me what you're using them for before I made them. Unless you want more pastries."

Uh oh, he just grinned wider and more maniacally than before. "That's exactly what I was hoping you would ask." He stands to his feet, pulling a keycard from his desk. "This way, there's something I should show you."

I keep following him through the various hallways of the 50th floor, around workers, around patrolling monsters, around- Oh, there's that one monster that's always so nice and kind when I come over. I wave to him as we round the corner of a hallway. I wonder what is so different about him? I should probably think about giving him an actual name besides "That monster that's nice to me."

We're walking down the hallway to the prototype testing lab that Mom showed me a long time ago. Asai flashes his card to the As we approach the large, steel door of the prototype lab, Asai does something I didn't expect. He stops halfway down the hallway and turns to face a inconspicuous door. Without even touching the door handle, the door slowly opens on its own power.

"Wow." I find myself saying, and then chastising myself for giving him any kind of credit whatsoever.He stifles a laugh at my visibly disgusted face. We walk into another pitch-black corridor and up a flight of hastily-constructed metal stairs. At the top is a doorway with a pure white aura being projected on the other side."We're here." He says, stepping inside.

Inside, is the prototype lab that Mom showed me. Only now, I'm seeing it from the observation deck that sits above the room. The white glow doesn't seem as harsh from the protection of the glass canopy. In the center of the room, a tiny card is held aloft by some unseen power on a podium. The room looks just like the last time I had visited it.

He presses a button on an onset console, and the room fills with an intense glow. Only, it's not an intense glow, quite the opposite, it's like the bright light of the room is being pulled into the card.

I'm having problems seeing my hand in front of my face. I freeze up and refuse to move a muscle, worried that even the slightest movement could result in me tripping over something. Or worse, accidentally hugging Dad, bleh!

A couple of seconds pass by as a set of florescent lights slowly start to flicker on, illuminating the room at least a little. At least, enough for me to realize that there are now three people in the lab, instead of two. The third one lumbers around the still-dark laboratory.

"Why is it so dark?" I ask, straining my eyes to see more. "The drones eyes are the last parts to form. So I try to make it easy on them by turning the lights up slowly."

"..Drones?"

The lights slowly start to brighten, slower, and slower, the room starts to fade into view.

In the center of the lab, wandering around and occasionally bashing himself on the head, is a monster. "When did he get in here!?" I exclaim.

Asai looks over to me, with a smile, before losing his composure in a flurry of vibrant laughter. But I don't get what's so funny.

>"No, really, what's so funny?">"I don't get it.">"Wait, THAT'S HOW YOU DO IT?">"I thought the process would be a little more.. messy." >"This raises more questions than answers.">Others?

He slowly starts to get his laughter under control. I start to lose my patience.

"I don't get it! What's so funny?"I shouldn't have said that, he starts to narrowly contain his laughter again.

The monster continues to pace around in the arena, occasionally hitting itself and bashing against a wall. Strangely, nothing seems to be damaged at all. Despite the fact that the monster is hitting the wall with full strength.Is this what Kaori was talking about with the mansion? The mansion couldn't be easily harmed because it existed in two places at once. Is Fortune the same way?

"Okay. Okay, Seriously." He says, turning the florescent lights back to full.

For whatever reason, the room isn't as bright as it normally is. It seems like some kind of light source is missing. Before, the walls, the floor, everything glowed. Now, only the lights emit a fragile hum as they illuminate the room.

"I thought you brought me here to answer my questions, not give me more of them!" I'm not sure he cares about my complaints. At the very least, he should be aware that I have them."That, in the center of the room my dear, is a 'Drone'.""A 'Drone'?"

He smiles as he taps a button on the console in front of him, slowly, the metallic lab door starts to slide open."Hey, Wait! That thing is crazy! You can't just let it out into the building!

He licks his lips as he eyes the monster. The beast continues his rampage for a few seconds more.

But then he stops.

The monster walks to the center of the room, standing tall. He starts jumping in place. Wait, jumping jacks? It's doing jumping jacks in the middle of the room?Then, it falls over onto its front and starts pushing at the ground. Push-ups, it suddenly decided to start doing push-ups?

Slowly, the once out-of-control beast stands at attention and walks straight out the door. It holds itself as proper and orderly as anything else in the building. "That, dear Masami, is a 'drone'".

>>36236724"I don't get it." Is my response, really it's the only response I think anyone could ever give him.

"Drones are, for the most part, extremely single-minded and simple creatures. I tell them to do something, and they do it. Very few of them are even able to talk. From there, they can improve, or I can teach them every relevant skill they need for their jobs." He presses a few more buttons on the console, and adjusts his voice."It used to be impractical to make more than a few dozen of them. It was a very difficult and time-consuming process. But thanks to modern technology, it's now as easy as pressing a button."

He turns to me, "Fortune is a big company, and it's hard to find loyal help. No matter how big or small, every card has a place here. So please, make more cakes, maybe we could go into the bakery business together."There's that big smile again, that wasn't even a very funny joke.

"But, how did you get it under control? It was running loose just a second ago..""Why Masami, that's simple! I am its master."

"You're its... master?""Of course! It was made in my building, and I'm the one who owns the building. So who else would own it?"

I just had a very terrible thought. "D-does that mean, you're the master of everything that was made in this building? Everything?"

He's almost instantaneous to answer, "Yes." His head snaps at an inhuman speed to look me straight in the eye. "Everything."

>"C-can I just get the card and be done? I don't want to be here anymore." >Try to argue with him>Keep asking more questions, maybe he'll say more>Just leave.>Other?

>EverythingOkay, that's a REEEEEALLY big problem. If he has complete control over everything that was made in the building, then he has complete control over any cards we draft - means any tricks we come up with are useless.It also means he can forcefully control Haruko, since it was in this room the first time we visited....then again, Haruko gave the space in her card to us, so we own it. That makes it a safe zone for us and we really might need it.

Probably the very next thing we have to do, before ANYTHING, is to create a space that we own - we'd be the master of that space, and Asai won't be able to do shit for it. That's where we do all the drafting and editting from now on.

as for the vote:[X]"C-can I just get the card and be done?"Don't tack on the "I don't wanna be here" line - we don't know if Masami was created here, and if she was, he could compel her to stay.

When we drafted our first card, we made a fuckhueg castle in the other world, and it was very clearly outside of Fortune HQ because we could see it in the distance. If it's still up, then that'd be a perfect "our place" to work on things.

To that end, creating a workshop or similar as a space that we use for drafting their stuff (claim some bullshit reason like "I feel calmer") might be worth looking into.

>>36237809>Wait, I want to find Mom first.I wonder, is there a way we can "forget" we had the card and work on it at home?

>"I didn't say I was." >"But! You just said-!" >"Huh, I did, didn't I?" He laughs, before reaching into his coat.

Alright, so it's not absolute control, but it's clearly control of something.

Also this, from thread 10:>"It's really difficult to explain how the cards are made, but the cards themselves are supposed to contain an audible sense of affection. This is completely different, it's like it doesn't even exist, yet, I'm holding it."

Seems like there's some element of corruption that the CEO is doing with the cards, since he can't use them properly. Once we KO the beasts he creates, we can use the cards more or less as they were intended. That fail-safe method Anon suggested earlier seems like a much better idea now, unless we end up keeping all the cards we draft (then again there's a sample size of 1, no good conclusions we can draw from that.)

Wait, no no no. I'm not about to be left alone in here again if I'm going to be drafting this card. I take out my phone and text Mom, telling her that I'm at Fortune and-

"MASAMI!" something large and warm wraps her arms around me."Wow Mom, that was fast." I say, trying to struggle away from her grip. "Why didn't you tell me that you were coming over?"

"Um. It was kind of sudden. A lot happened at school yesterday when I skipped that I don't think I told you about and I was just catching up after that." "Oh! Why didn't you find me when you stopped by?" She releases me from her hug.

"I was talking to Asai and was kind of busy." Mom looks really worried, all of the sudden.

Okay! Thanks for the thread everyone! Apologies for the gaps between updates, but it was fun, and I loved it!

It really feels good running a quest at the end of the day. I wish I could do it every day like I used to do. Especially now, because I think we're really getting into the plot-heavy stuff that I have been looking forward to.

>>36238485>I've noticed that the first one or two story posts after OP have been pretty fast and it really gets so much slower from there. Is it a lack of motivation, lack of muse, or something?

It's more of a matter of me having the OP post and the next few posts sort-of planned. I have the general area and what events may or may not transpire there planned. So when we leave those areas or the area changes based on the choices made, I have to suddenly re-work the area and the choices in my head about what the players can do and what has changed.

It's also a matter of my attention span. I have a terrible habit in that I'll go watch a video or something when I'm waiting for votes, but that results in me losing track of time and not keeping focused at the task at hand.

Plus, right now, it's midnight. I'm usually used to going to bed around 10PM. So as the night goes on, I get more tired and lose more motivation unless something really important is happening on-screen. You may have noticed my previous post where I completely missed that first half of your post and only focused on the last half, part of that is because I'm really tired. And writing/reading things isn't my strong suit right now.

Yeah, those are really unprofessional reasons to slow down. But I'm learning! I'm trying to do better. If I actually have become better and not gotten worse is up to you.

I have wondered if, when I start up another quest because I'm sure that I will, it wouldn't be better to start up any new quests on Akun where I can have 2-3 hour sessions every night with no complaints. It's something I need to think a little more about, even though I love the /tg/ questing community. I just seem to do badly when I force myself to do 8-hour quest blocks. Maybe I just need to drink more coffee and get more sleep, who knows! I wish I knew how people like Artemis did all-day-and-night quests and still manage to continue their threads in the morning when they wake up.

>>36238924Well, rest assured, Card Priestess is going to continue as it has until it ends. I'm not going to suddenly make THAT big of a change on my readers. It started on /tg/ with 6-8 hour sessions, and it'll end the same way.

It's just, for the future, I need to decide how any quests I may start up are handled.